Ruby Tuesday To Blow Up One of Its Stores. Live. Online
If you check out Ruby Tuesday's website, you will find a bulbous bomb. "We've changed everything at Ruby Tuesday," it says, "now it's time to bid a farewell to the past with one elegant, understated gesture." The last "old" Ruby Tuesday—they are keeping the location secret—will be literally blown up on Tuesday, August 5 at 3 p.m. ET, and the spectacle will be broadcast online.
Bombing, figuratively at least, is the recent theme for casual dining restaurants, given a tough economy and food inflation. Bennigan's announced bankruptcy earlier this week.
The demolition will inspire Ruby Tuesday's "it's a brand new Tuesday" ad campaign and a total overhaul of the struggling image at all 948 locations. According to Brandweek, the bar and grill menu will now feature "simple, fresh, American" fare, and the Tiffany lamps and tchotchkes? Those will be ousted to make room for a new "simple and modern" style. We're a bit sad to see the tchotchkes go. Aren't you? And are explosives really necessary? [via Gawker]
Update: Ruby Tuesday punked us all: It was a prank.
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16 Comments:
No... explosives really aren't necessary... idiots.
feistyfoodie at 3:57PM on 07/31/08
Oh yes, explosives are always necessary. I heartily encourage other chain restaurants to explode their buildings as well.
rheogs at 4:05PM on 07/31/08
If only Starbucks would jump on board and blow up all the stores they're closing!
DanielJ at 4:21PM on 07/31/08
You forgot to mention that their branding has been completely redone (tastefully) by the one and only Pentagram.
www.pentagram.com
Smoosh at 4:27PM on 07/31/08
Explosions, like bread and circuses, are the pablum which we all joyfully imbibe.
AJ1280 at 4:28PM on 07/31/08
What about the pieces of flair?
tech9803 at 4:58PM on 07/31/08
Why not "blast" things off with a "bang". Are they selling seats to this "dynamite" event?
Boscompb at 5:43PM on 07/31/08
I wish they would blow up every stupid chain restaurant evrywhere, forever. Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden...BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
It would be so cleansing...
sailordave at 9:48PM on 07/31/08
"A total overhaul of the struggling image"? I hope so, the last Ruby Tuesday I went to (Oak Ridge, TN) was so moribund (the waitstaff, bartenders, and cooks where obviously just phoning it in) that the place smelt of death.
kaszeta at 8:51AM on 08/01/08
No Ruby Tuesdays left in Austin... I actually used to like them.
Haven't been in one since the last one here closed 4 years ago.
ronzoni at 9:07AM on 08/01/08
sailordave.....you said it..why can't they blow up all the Ruby Tuesdays?
I would pay to see my local Olive Garden destroyed. I hate all these generic places..and let's no forget TGI Fridays....
RichardCrystal at 1:56PM on 08/01/08
Ruby's was started in Knoxville, TN by a guy named Sandy Beall and a couple of frat brothers as an upscale burger restaurant. The burgers were seriously good and unusual for the time (early 70s). The first restaurant was off the University of Tennessee campus and the second was opened two doors up from the Pier 1 Imports I managed at the time. For a while, every time they opened a new store, Sandy would come into Pier 1 with his decorator and plunk down a couple of thousand dollars -- which absolutely made my day (finanacially-speaking).
FWIW, Sandy is also a co-founder/owner of Blackberry Farms.
Kevin at 2:54PM on 08/01/08
There is one near me in NC. My husband convinced me to do take-out from there the other night, and I have to admit - I was very surprised. The food was really good. I do not ever like chain food, but they are doing something right.
csbrown at 3:29PM on 08/01/08
Whoops! 3 p.m. EDT came and went, right? Did they blow it?
GoingLikeSixty at 3:07PM on 08/05/08
I watched, the feed lasted a couple minutes, and they focused on the Ruby Tuesday that they meant to blow up, but blew up a different place, next door, and the stream ended.
thallq1 at 3:15PM on 08/05/08
Update: Ruby Tuesday punked us all: It was a prank.
Raphael at 4:03PM on 08/05/08